National Socialist German Work Party
History The National Socialist German Workers Party (the Nazi Party) was rulled by Adolf Hitler from 1923 until its outlaw in 1945. The party was founded in Munich, Germany after the end of World War I. It was origanlly known as the German Workers Party and was led by Anton Drexter. After the war Hitler was sent by the army to spy on the group. Hitler soon became intreged the party and joined it. He soon found he had a great speaking voice and became the voice of the party. As time wore on the party was renamed the National Socialist German Workers Party and used the swastika as its symbol. Soon Hitler built a strong inner circle within the party and Anton Drexter was vetoed out by the Leadership Commitie and Hitler was declared Fuhrer (leader). As time wore on new members joined Hitler's inner circle men included: Rudolf Hess, Alfred Rosenburg, Gregor Strasser, Joseph Goebbles, Herman Goering, Hienrich Himmler, Juluis Striker, and Ernst Rohm were some of the most notable. Hitler and his Nazi Party spewed out messages of propaganda against the Treaty of Versialles, Communism, the Wiemar Republic, and Jews. The Nazi's had thier own personal army the SA (the stormtroops) who famously were engaged in street battles with thier communist opponents. In 1923 Hitler entered a meeting of right-wing parties in a Munich beer hall. He stormed the building with his stormtroops, stood atop a table and fired his pistol in the air and declared, "the national revolution has begun". Following this the stromtroops marched on the army barracks but were quickly shot dowm by the soilders. Following this Hitler led a march toward the city center where German troops awaited them. the army opened fire killing eighteen Nazis. Hitler escaped to a friends house but was found by the police and aressted. Hitler was put on trial after his failed Beer Hall Putsch for high treason. Hitler plede guilty. He turned his failed revolution into a political triumph and a leaning court sentenced him to five years but he was out after nine months. while in his lavish prison cell his deputy, Rudolf Hess volunteerly joined him. Hitler then dictated to Hess (who wrote on typewriter), his book Mein Kampf (My Struggle). In it Hitler dictated his ideas of a Greater Germany and a Europe dominated by Germans. He lashed out at communism and judiasm and declared that the German people neede "living space" for her Greater Germanic Empire. Soon Hitler was relased and his book published. He soon reunited the party (which had been banned following his imprisonment) and reorganized it. He abolished the Leadership Committie and declared himself absolute leader, the Fuhrer. Hitler also invented the famous Nazi salute with the words, "Hiel Hitler". Hitler also invented a new arm of the party called the SS (protection squad), that was loyal only to Hitler. They were a branch of the SA dressed in an all black uniform with a skull and cross cap. Another new unit was the Hitler Youth. The youth organization of the Nazi Party. Hitler's popularity soon began to rise and in 1932 Hitler ran against WWI hero Paul Von Hindenburg for the office of ReichsPresident. Hitler loss but his party managed to win 107 seats in the Reichstag. But the new administration feared Hitler and his Nazi Party. Believing he could control Hitler Franz Van Papen, former chancellor, asked Hindenburg to appoint Hitler as Reichschancellor and Papen as Vice Chancellor. Hindenburg, who dispised Hitler and the Nazi Party finally gave in and on January 30,1933 Hitler was declared Chancellor. Weeks after his victory the Reichstag was set ablaze by a dutch communist. Hitler then order an emergency meeting of the Reichstag in the Kroll Opera House in Berlin. The Reichstag was half Nazi and half other. Goering headed the Reichstag. Hitler announced to the Reichstag that the Reichstag was to support a bill called the Enabiling Act to stop the communist threat. In it it overided the constution and outlawed freedom of speech, press, and public of speech. The Reichstag passed the bill. Hitler sent his SA men to round up the communist. Within weeks 400,000 communist had been aressted and sent to prison. The prisons were overcrowded however and the first Concentration Camp was constucted in the town of Dachau. Hitler soon outlawed all political parties in Germany. There was soon more aresst and soon the Nazi Party was the only political party in Germany. By 1934 Ernst Rohm and the SA were becoming a problem. Hitler needed the support of the army that was under the control of the dying Hindenburg . The army declared the would loyaly submit to Hitler after Hindenburg's death as long as he had executed the SA power. Hitler summonded Rohm to his office and gave him and the SA leaders vacation time at a retreat in Bad Wiesse. On the night of June 30, 1934 Hitler and followers flew to the hotel the SA men were staying at in Bad Wiesse and aressted Rohm. The others were killed by the SS. At the same time SS leader Hienrich Himmler and Herman Goering stationed in Berlin order the aresst of SA leaders in Berlin. The Gestapo and SS carried out mass arrest and executions of SA members and those who were enimes to Hitler. The three day cleansing was known as the "Night of the Long Knives". Following this the SS was seperated from the SA and the SA lost many of its members. Soon Hindenburg died and Hitler combined the offices of Chancellor and President into the office of Reichschancellor and Fuhrer. The army, true to thier word, took a personnel oath of loyalty to Hitler. Hitler and his Nazis were now the rulers of Germany. Hitler then began the Nazification of Germany and German Culture. Hitler had kicked Jews from government and economic poitions in Germany. He began massive boycotts and book burnings across Germany. Under the Ministry of Propaganda and Public Enlightenment the Nazi Party's message of hate and nationalism was spread across the country through radio, newspaper, film, books, music, and the arts. Its minister was Joseph Goebbles. In schools, children were taught the Nazi indocteration. Children, boys and girls, of ages ten to eighteen were forced to join the Hitler Youth. In 1936 hitler passed the Nuremburg Race law making Jews and other undersiables no longer citizens. In 1938 Hitler annexed his home country of Austria to the Third Reich to create a Greater Germany as he had stated in Mien Kampf. Later that year Hitler demanded that the German speaking Sudetenland be given to him if not he promised to invade all of Czechoslovakia. By september he had annexed it as well he had annexed all of Czechoslovakia. Hitler had also began his Nazification process in his new territories and his Anti-Semetic laws. On September 1,1939 Hitler invaded western Poland and annexed it into Greater Germany. The Nazi Party put in its policies. Though the army was loyal to Hitler many of its old prussian-style generals disliked the Nazis. So Himmler and Hitler formed the Waffen-SS (armed SS) as the Nazi Party's military arm. By 1942 Hitler was master of Europe having conquered the scandinavian countries, France, Luxembourg, Belguim, Holland, Hungary, the Balkans, Poland, and the Western half of the Soviet Union. The Nazi Party was at its height and its Anti-Siemetic laws were widespread in Europe. Hitler had also called for the "Final Solution, the "complete end to the Jewish Question". This would lead to the creation of death camps and the Holocaust. By fall of 1944 Hitler's empire was crumbiling. the Soviets were advancing through the East. The U.S. and Great Britian through Italy. And the U.S., Britian, and Canadians through France. The Nazis soon devoted to "total war". During this time the Soviets had uncovered the mass killing machine of the Death Camps. By 1945 Hitler was totally surronded. The western allies came through western Germany and the Soviets through eastern Germany. On April 30 with Berlin surronded Hitler commited suicide. On May 8 Germany surrendered. Following it the Allied Occupation force kicked Nazi officals from government and economical offices. Hitler's SS and notorious Gestapo were hunted down. Many Nazi members were arrested and put on war crimes trials most notable is the Nuremburg War crimes trial. Many Nazis commited suicide such as Goebbles, Himmler, and Hitler. Matin Borrman, Hitler's secretary was tried in absentiea but was later found to have died in the Battle of Berlin. At the war crimes Goering was found guilty and sentneced to death. He later commited suicide before his execution. Rudolf Hess was guilty and sentenced to life in prison. Hardcore Racist Juluis Striker was found guilty and hung. The Nazi Party and its organizations were outlawed and the process of denazification began.